A blog initially intended as a place for childhood friends to share family recipes.. ending up as a major unleashed therapy for one of those friends living abroad..but in a good way..

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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Ratatouille My Way

Great way to use up the last of my eggplants! I've always loved ratatouille, and for some reason, people here (in the north of France) tend to buy it ready made...canned. What an outrage! This side dish is so good the eggplants just melt in your mouth and give the rest a creamy texture, minus the cream! Ok, I admit I tweaked the ingredients. REAL ratatouille has zucchini instead of carrots, but I did with what I had on hand.Ingredients:
1 eggplant, diced, skin on
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 diced bell pepper
1 small can crushed tomatoes
1 diced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp paprika
drizzle of white wine for deglazing
some chicken stock for deglazing
4 tbsp EVOO
handful fresh basil, chopped (or 1 tbsp dried)
1 tsp thyme
salt/fresh ground pepperDirections:
1. Heat 2 tbsp EVOO in a wok or heavy based frying pan and add the carrots. Stir around 5 minutes, then add the garlic and onions until colored.
2. Add the eggplant and bell pepper and stir until the moisture is absorbed. Deglaze with the 2 other tbsp EVOO and white wine. Add the paprika, thyme, and some salt, then cover and let simmer 10 minutes, stirring and deglazing with chicken stock from time to time.
3. Add the tomatoes and some chicken stock. Cover and let simmer until carrots are tender or 10 more minutes. Stir in the fresh basil. Season to taste.